The present invention relates to an improved golf club grip.
Applicant has previously developed resilient grips which successfully reduce shock to the muscle and arm joints of the users of golf clubs, tennis racquets, racquet ball racquets, baseball bats and other impact imparting devices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,813 granted to applicant Aug. 25, 1998. Such earlier grips utilize a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer to define a strip which is spirally wrapped around the handle of a golf club, racquet or the like to conform to the external configuration or such handle. In certain of such grips the sides of the felt layer taper from the side edges of the strip and the polyurethane layer is formed with recessed reinforcement side edges which overlap to form a water retarding joint between the side edges of the strip as the strip is wrapped around the handle or over a resilient sleeve telescopically carried by the handle. A problem common to polyurethane-felt golf club grips is the tendency of the side edges of the polyurethane-felt grips to unravel over a period of use from stretching of the strip as well as by frictional contact of the exterior of the strip with a golf bag as a golf club is removed from and returned into such golf bag.
Applicant has developed an improved shock resistant golf club grip utilizing a polyurethane-felt strip made up of two segments. Each segment is preferably of a different width. The narrower segment may be embossed with indicia so as to enhance the strength of such segment to thereby provide increased resistance against the edges of the segments being loosened from a golf club. The two segments may be of different colors so as to provide a golf club grip of a unique decorative appearance.
The two-piece strip of the present invention may be spirally wrapped about a tapered resilient underlisting sleeve, with such sleeve being slipped onto the handle of a golf club shaft. Alternatively, the strip may be directly spirally wrapped about the handle of a golf club tennis racquet or the like. When the two-piece strip is spirally wrapped about an underlisting sleeve, the sleeve may be positioned on a collapsible mandrel to provide a slip-on golf club grip that can be applied to a new golf club or can be utilized as a replacement golf club grip.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates by way of example the principles of the invention.